Episode Details

Back to Episodes

Hemlock #15 - Confronting the Bomb: Franco Castro Escobar on the History of Nuclear Weapons in Japan, Antiwar Movements, World Federation, Hibakusha, Youth Antinuclear Organizations, and Fallout

Published 11 months, 1 week ago

Description

Learn more about Franco and his research:

https://www.keele.ac.uk/socialsciences/staff/francocastroescobar/

https://uk.linkedin.com/in/fcastroescobar

Come join my Patreon!

https://www.patreon.com/c/HemlockPatreon

Summary

In this conversation, Franco Castro Escobar, a peace researcher and PhD candidate, discusses the historical and contemporary issues surrounding nuclear weapons, particularly focusing on Japan's anti-nuclear movement. The dialogue explores the origins of nuclear disarmament efforts, the role of scientists and intellectuals, the impact of censorship, and the environmental consequences of nuclear testing.

Chapters

(00:00) Introduction to Nuclear Disarmament and Peace Research
(04:32) The Historical Context of Nuclear Weapons in Japan
(12:30) The Role of Scientists and Intellectuals in Anti-Nuclear Movements
(20:39) Censorship and Early Opposition in Post-War Japan
(30:47) The Impact of Nuclear Weapons on Society and Environment
(37:54) Tactical Nuclear Weapons: Myths and Realities
(51:54) Contemporary Nuclear Arms Control and Its Challenges
(01:00:10) Erosion of Arms Control Treaties
(01:05:27) The Role of the NPT in Global Security
(01:12:10) Nuclear Weapons as a Deterrent
(01:15:54) The Impact of Nuclear Weapons on Global Politics
(01:19:44) Youth Activism Against Nuclear Weapons
(01:28:19) The Future of Nuclear Energy
(01:49:09) Building a Youth Archive for Anti-Nuclear Activism

-//-

Books:

-The World Set Free, H. G. Wells (1913)

-Confronting the Bomb: Lawrence S. Wittner

https://www.lawrenceswittner.com/books/confronting-the-bomb

-The Ocean on Fire, Anaïs Maurer

https://www.dukeupress.edu/the-ocean-on-fire

-Political Fallout, Toshihiro Higuchi

https://www.sup.org/books/sociology/political-fallout

-Nuclear is Not the Solution, M. V. Ramana

https://www.versobooks.com/products/3013-nuclear-is-not-the-solution

-Being Nuclear: Africans and the Global Uranium Trade, Gabrielle Hecht